Story via wisbusiness.com

Blessings in a Backpack of Waukesha County has established its first chapter board leadership team.

Nancy Major, managing director of Blessings in a Backpack, said, “This leadership team of highly-skilled, determined, and well-connected individuals is a dream-team. I’m confident that together, their impact on childhood hunger in Waukesha County will be immense.”

Officers are president, Rebecca Schwaab Melgares, attorney and community volunteer; vice president, Diana Mullranin Schmidt, Haussmann Johnson Insurance; Treasurer, Lisa Hayes, community volunteer; and secretary, Amanda Bushe, VJS Construction Services.

Board members-at-large are Sarah Butz, ProHealth Care; Norman Brooks, community volunteer; Tim Henkel, retired vice president, Orbis; Jeremy Schmidt, PNC Bank; Nick Heckenkamp, Vrakas CPAs; Traci Huntemann-Piatt, Inlanta Mortgage; Norm Kukuk, Orbis; Robyn Ludtke, Waukesha County Business Alliance; and, Mick O’Brien, community volunteer.

Rebecca Schwaab Melgares, president, said, “I’m honored to serve as the president of the Waukesha County Chapter and to bring together this fantastic group of talented and passionate professionals.”

Blessings in a Backpack’s community outreach includes memberships with the Independent Business Association of Wisconsin, Greater Brookfield Chamber of Commerce, and Waukesha County Business Alliance (WCBA). In 2020, the chapter was named the “Small Nonprofit of the Year” by the WCBA.

Blessings in a Backpack mobilizes communities, individuals and resources to provide food on the weekends for school children across America who might otherwise go hungry. The Waukesha County Blessings in a Backpack Chapter was founded in 2012 to bring this mission to life in our own backyard. We are a local chapter of the national organization, which serves over 87,000 kids in over 1,090 locations, spread throughout 45 states and the District of Columbia.

The organization holds a 4-star rating with Charity Navigator, the highest score possible, and is recognized as a Platinum-level rated nonprofit through GuideStar, the highest designation awarded.